johnny139
|
A Month (and a few days) of Miyazaki!And so it begins...
Every three days, I'm going to change my avatar. It will chronologically follow the growth of Miyazaki, from his first feature film to his so-called last. Most avatars will be taken from Japanese theatrical posters, which I've cropped and taken the major characters or features from and added a black border to. Obviously, all but one will be from FEATURE LENGTH films DIRECTED BY Hayao Miyazaki, not just commercials or films written or animated by him.
First up is Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. Most people think Nausicaä is his first movie, but it's actually a Japanese favorite, Lupin III! He worked on the TV show and both wrote and directed the second film, which is pictured in my avatar. It's widely considered the best Lupin film, and though it lacks many of Miyazaki's trademarks, it's an enjoyable romp. So I've heard. Never actually SEEN it.
|
AzureOcean
|
Neat. I didn't know Lupin was by him.
|
MetaNite
|
I have no idea what you are talking about.
|
Heroic Monkey
|
| MetaNite wrote: | | I have no idea what you are talking about. |
Neither do I. 
|
Witch King of Angmar
|
I remember Lupin the 3rd the Anime series on Adult Swim, Is their a good English dub of the movie
|
johnny139
|
| Witch King of Angmar wrote: | | I remember Lupin the 3rd the Anime series on Adult Swim, Is their a good English dub of the movie |
Yeah, there's two dubs - one Americanized one from the early 90s that, while it had good voices, had a mediocre script which deviated from the original, and a more recent one by Manga Entertainment that's 95% good outside of some profanity added to scenes.
|
johnny139
|
Gah, I'm late! I meant to do this last night!
Oh well. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is often considered Miyazaki's first big film. And it pretty much is. Unlike Lupin III, it was entirely his creation (though the same can't be said for some of his later movies!), and was probably more popular on release. It starts of many of the themes throughout his movies... a spunky female for a main character, a plot with no real villains, and an environmentalist feel.
Fun Fact: See that little animal on her shoulder? It's a rabbit-cat-squirrel-chipmunk-thing. They can be found in Castle in the Sky, playing on the first robot Pazu and Sheeta meet on Laputa!
|
johnny139
|
Late again. As many of you have learned... BOY do I suck at datelines.
Laputa: Castle in the Sky is my personaly favorite Miyazaki movies. Hell, it's my favorite movie EVER... well, tied with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It's SO fantastic. Though it's not as deep or philosophical as most of his movies, it has that sense of freedom and adventure I love so much about his work. And the ending... dear God, it's so perfect. Honestly, go rent it as soon as you can. It's SO great. I could watch it every day of every month of every year for the rest of my life and never get tired of it. I could also go on and on about how great it is... but really, just go watch it and fall in love with it the same way I did.
Fun Fact: Mark Hamil (better known as Luke Skywalker or the Joker, depending on how much you watch cartoons) plays Colonel Muska in the English version. His screams of pain at the end of the film are fantastically chilling... I get shivers every time.
...
Really. Go see it. It's perfect. I don't think I'll be able to marry someone if they dislike this movie. It's that important.
Watch it.
I'll pay.
...
No I won't.
...
Go see it.
|
AzureOcean
|
I own it!
Amazing movie! 
|
johnny139
|
| AzureOcean wrote: | I own it!
Amazing movie! |
I own it on VHS, DVD, and if/when Disney releases it, Blu-Ray.
I don't even have a Blu-Ray player. Still going to buy it.
|
johnny139
|
My Neighbor Totoro is Miyazaki's most light-hearted film, by far. Though I haven't seen it (it's the only film of his from Ghibli I've yet to), from what I understand, it's about a family who moves to the countryside for... some sad reason, I forget. There, the two little girls meet a Totoro, which is the big cat thing in my avatar. It's a very sweet, touching movie... gah. Must. See. Now!
|
DarkWolf
|
It looked like a bird or penquin... not a cat, lol
|
Heroic Monkey
|
I believe it is a large penguin with indentations on its chest. The long lost brother of King Dedede, perhaps.
|
johnny139
|
Is kitty.
|
DarkWolf
|
| johnny139 wrote: |
Is kitty. |
lol... oh... well it does look different than your avatar, your avatar looks too much like a penquin.
|
johnny139
|
| DarkWolf wrote: | | lol... oh... well it does look different than your avatar, your avatar looks too much like a penquin. |
YOUR avatar looks too much like a penguin!
*runs away sobbing*
|
DarkWolf
|
| johnny139 wrote: | | DarkWolf wrote: | | lol... oh... well it does look different than your avatar, your avatar looks too much like a penquin. |
YOUR avatar looks too much like a penguin!
*runs away sobbing* |
ROFL!!!!
|
johnny139
|
HA! I'm ON TIME! TAKE THAT INTERNET!
An often overlooked gem, Kiki's Delivery Service is one of Miyazaki's films based on a novel he had no part in writing (or conceptualizing for that matter). It's a sweet little story about a witch that goes out into the world on her own. It's a very simple film... no villains, no amazing journeys, nothing like that. There's a climax and excitement of course, but it's very slice-of-life. Or slice-of-WITCH-life, I should say.
|
johnny139
|
Hey! I suck! Now I need to cut another avatar out...
Porco Rosso. My thoughts on it can be found in the Avatar thread... awesome movie. Second only to Laputa, as far as I'm concerned.
|
|
|
